GUILTY Canada - Melissa Richmond, 28, stabbed to death, Winchester, Ont, 24 July 2013

[Lise-Anne]

Besides, I believe if it was a deliberate kill for financial gain, a soldier of Howard's experience and expertise would have found a much better way to make it look like an accident than this.

I have to agree with you on that. Surely, he must have known that he was leaving evidence behind.

 

[matou]

He didn't make it look like an accident. He made it look like a murder that someone else did. JMO

 

[Wendy101]

I am assuming that the police have some pretty hard evidence to support a First degree murder charge, but as a person who lives daily with someone who has severe combat related PTSD, and a member of the SCA who has had interactions with both Melissa and Howard, I still do not believe that this was a premeditated murder. Innocent people have been convicted in the past on circumstantial evidence, and it is well within the realm of possibility that something happened between Howard and Melissa that Howard isn't telling people which led to her leaving the house, etc.

Tell me Howard had a PTSD episode, became disassociated and killed her, and I might believe it. However, without hard, physical evidence I can not believe that the Warrior Poet I knew would deliberately kill a woman he was so completely in love with, not even for money! Besides, I believe if it was a deliberate kill for financial gain, a soldier of Howard's experience and expertise would have found a much better way to make it look like an accident than this.

As to the separate cars, that is easy. Melissa would probably drive from work to whatever SCA gathering they were attending on whichever night, and Howard would drive there from a different place, either work or home. They would meet up there, and then drive their vehicles to either home, or out for dinner with the group. A lot of SCA couples attend meetings that way.

IMO this is what happened... Then attempted to cover up.

 

[LurkingSpectator]

He didn't make it look like an accident. He made it look like a murder that someone else did. JMO

Ahhh, but that's my point. If you have insurance on someone, and you are not just the 'average' joe, why make it 'look' like a random murder if you are trying to collect insurance money? Any hint of foul play would auto result in an investigation, and someone with Howard's background knows that a thorough investigation cuts through the smoke screens, so why invite the investigation?

If it was a deliberate murder, I truly believe it would not have been staged to look like a random murder, it would have been staged to look like an accident. A clear accident that did not require too close of an investigation. However, if it was a result of a PTSD break, I can see panic setting in and trying to make it look like a random murder afterwards. I do not believe Howard deliberately set out to kill his wife IF he killed her at all.

 

[Wondergirl]

Takes alot of chutzpa to attend the wake and funeral of the wife you betrayed and murdered, in cold blood (though, I do hope she fought for her life, like STR said, and took a chunk out of him).

Would he still have been on his PTSD break today, in your opinion, if, hypothetically, he DID murder her?

 

[matou]

The Petawawa-based combat engineer did six overseas tours with the military including at least one in Afghanistan.

Richmond married Melissa when she was just three years out of high school. They had no children and according to friends, she was anxious for his retirement from the military so they could enjoy a prolonged vacation together.

Police found the young woman’s semi-clad body on Sunday morning in a ravine near the South Keys Shopping Centre in the city’s south end. She had suffered multiple stab wounds.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/0...order-to-be-charged-with-wifes-murder-police/

 

[matou]

The police have yet to issue a cause of death. There have been multiple media reports that she was stabbed repeatedly.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/...rrested_after_wifes_body_found_in_ravine.html

 

[Lise-Anne]

However, if it was a result of a PTSD break, I can see panic setting in and trying to make it look like a random murder afterwards...

I posted earlier that what he told CBC when asked how he felt when she didn't come back home that night didn't make much sense to me :"I was very confused, very frightened." "I started panicking. I tried to rationalize it".

I couldn't understand why he didn't mention anything about being worried, which would have made more sense from a grieving husband. Now it's much clearer.

 

[LurkingSpectator]

I posted earlier that what he told CBC when asked how he felt when she didn't come back home that night didn't make much sense to me :"I was very confused, very frightened." "I started panicking. I tried to rationalize it".

I couldn't understand why he didn't mention anything about being worried, which would have made more sense from a grieving husband. Now it's much clearer.

From my experience with dealing with an individual who has PTSD, the advice and assistance provided to me by his counsellor and psychiatrist, and my dealings with him, it actually does make sense, perfect sense. PTSD sufferers often have a VERY difficult time communicating their emotions, as well as processing emotion and controlling it. My significant other often uses the wrong words to describe how he is feeling, and it takes a great deal of delving and patient guidance for him to accurately describe what he is feeling. For instance, 'confusion/fear/anger' are indeed words that often replace 'worry'. So, I think a lot of the 'clues' that are coming from Howard's reactions and behaviour are red herrings, due to the fact he does indeed have PTSD.

 

[Wondergirl]

Howard's Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/howard.richmond.370?fref=ts

His FB is down.

 

[LurkingSpectator]

Takes alot of chutzpa to attend the wake and funeral of the wife you betrayed and murdered, in cold blood (though, I do hope she fought for her life, like STR said, and took a chunk out of him).

Would he still have been on his PTSD break today, in your opinion, if, hypothetically, he DID murder her?

That's an interesting question. I don't think a psychotic break brought on by a PTSD episode would last longer than a day or so, however, it is possible for a sufferer of PTSD to completely block out, or as it is better known 'blackout' entire time periods of episodes where they genuinely have no recollection of time or what they did. Get in a fight with a person with PTSD, where they are just acting totally out of control and yelling very hurtful and absurd accusations at you, and then, afterwards, try to have a conversation with them about what they said, and they often can not recall having said or done any of it, they just remember being angry. It is quite an interesting phenomenon that I have witnessed over and over.

 

[humandoing]

Rightly or wrongly, in cases like these, the spouse and/or last person to see the victim alive are going to be considered a prime suspect right from the onset of a disappearance and/or murder because they are more often than not involved.

For this reason, the police would have most likely had Howard under the highest possible level of surveillance for the last 7 or 8 days and obviously feel now, along with evidence collected at the crime scenes and property searches, they have enough evidence to charge him with first degree murder; not even second degree or manslaughter.

So, a reasonable person could assume they have more than just circumstantial evidence at this point.

Just how much or what kind of incriminating evidence they are currently sitting on is anyone's guess.

 

[pixelone]

Before I comment, I should commit full-disclosure: I am not as "intimately" involved with Howard or Melissa as many of their friends are, but I have met them both on occasion and the speculation I have seen in the past 11 pages does not depict them truthfully at all.

This may be my first post on this forum - and the first of what I hope will be many, as I feel I have the same cynical view as most here which has helped me provide opinions that have been successful on other similar forums - but what I have read about Melissa's disappearance, murder, and opinions on Howard since the news broke of his arrest is completely out of character for both of them. I hope you will all bear with me for a few moments... I may rant, but only because I know of inconsistencies in the media reports many of you are reporting.

First of all - there was a LARGE number of people (including myself) who were at Melissa's wake that had NO idea Howard had been detained in this case. When it started to circulate (I won't go into how or why), the general concensus was "it has to be a mistake!" Most of you posting here DON'T KNOW them.... to learn Howard was arrested, questioned, and now facing murder charges - it was akin to being kicked in the groin.

Like here, and almost everywhere else this case has been discussed, speculation ran wild... as did anger, sadness, disbelief.

I can't, and won't, believe that law enforcement has the right man.... YET. You had to see them together in order to have doubt in this - I have, and do.

Second - throughout the entire investigation there has been SO MUCH misinformation reported (right down to Melissa's funeral arrangements, which is the ONE thing you'd think media would get right in such a high-profile case). I've seen so many comments about how Howard wasn't interviewed, being the spouse AND last person to see Melissa. I can personally say he HAS been interviewed - on several occasions. Yes, it has now been reported that he was interviewed as a "grieving widower", but I can assure you all that as the person who reported her missing he was definitely treated as anything but.

Third - his detention and the search warrants served and executed are part and parcel of ANY investigation (especially a high-profile one such as this) where there are no suspects within the first 48 to 72 hours. I won't go into any of my background for the time being, but I will say that I have had training in "criminal investigation". Whether Howard's detention and subsequent charge of murder is based on tactics or evidence, I can't comment, but I *do* know from past training that it has been employed as a tactic to prove or disprove a theory. Without a confession, it will be hard to determine which this is until a judge and jury has rendered a verdict.

Third - I live mere blocks from the South Keys mall that Melissa's car and body were found. If I were allowed to become a member before now on this forum I could have cleared up a LOT of the speculation since I am in this area EVERY DAY.

Before I go into any descriptions of the lot in question, I need to state that South Keys has a VERY questionable reputation - much of the area has been designated as "social housing" and with that come the "get rich quick" problems. As such, there is a heightened police presence in the area - right down to a "community police station" on the first floor of my building.

With the site - Kelsey's is not a 24-hour restaurant like Denny's is. Denny's is *maybe* 75-100 metres south of Kelsey's. What NO MEDIA OUTLET is reporting - the Loblaws grocery store (about 300 metres or so west from where Melissa was found) is open 24 hours. The WalMart located about 600-800 metres away (south-west) used to be 24-hours, but has recently started closing shop at 11pm - yet has staff on site 24 hours a day.

I am finding it hard to envision a murder (if the media reports you all are quoting are correct) being able to happen with that much risk in that area. With murder comes sound - and at that time of night, sound travels (to the residential area across the street, the Home Depot down the road with 24-hour staff, the 24-hour stores in the immediate area she was supposedly killed, and to my own balcony) if Melissa was killed, as media is reporting, in that area... without the fact that people are on that property 24-hours a day and there is a heightened police presence in this area to begin with...

Forgive me - I may be ranting here like a lunatic, but I am doing it based on what I KNOW and not on speculation. I may be biased because I know the couple, but I am also very familiar with the "how well can you really know someone" statement... It's why I have been divorced twice.

Like all of you, I'd want answers too. I just hope to get them based on fact, and not speculation.

Thank you all for welcoming me into your group. I hope I don't disappoint.

 

[Kbeb]

Like most, I was shocked to find it was the husband implicated/arrested in this case, mainly because of the nature of the killing, and the 'fairytale' love story life the couple allegedly shared. It was easier to believe that the murderer had to be some psycho maniac on the loose.

However, I truly started to have my doubts when the husband broke his first silence on his facebook page by saying.. "My Melissa has left this world ... But at the same time one close friend is getting married, another celebrates 25 years of marriage and yet another is about to give birth." To me I thought that was very odd. At least say your heart is broken or something ! That seemed more like an "oh well, such is life" attitude.

And the cell phone being reported as "accidently' forgotten at home. How would anyone else know if it was 'accidently' forgotten? Only Melissa would know the real answer.
I have a hunch that she was killed at home, her cell phone left behind to avoid GPS tracking, and the murder was staged to look like it happened at South Keys.

Truly sad case, I must say.

 

[bakergurl]

I live about 15mins from S Keys and know it is a bad area but for some odd reason when I first heard about poor Melissa's murder I never suspected that it was random. I think it was the going for a drive at 11:30pm at night. I get the wanting to drive alone but that time of night would seem risky but jmo.

I am pissed it was the husband. He lead our city to believe she was missing, had people looking and worrying. All this time he knew where he had placed her.
I understand what you are saying Pixelone and appreciated reading your insights.
Unfortunately none of us ever knows what really goes on behind closed doors.

I agree with the poster who said maybe she was meeting new friends her age and he didn't like it. Maybe he was worried about loosing her.

 

[dotr]

Like most, I was shocked to find it was the husband implicated/arrested in this case, mainly because of the nature of the killing, and the 'fairytale' love story life the couple allegedly shared. It was easier to believe that the murderer had to be some psycho maniac on the loose.

However, I truly started to have my doubts when the husband broke his first silence on his facebook page by saying.. "My Melissa has left this world ... But at the same time one close friend is getting married, another celebrates 25 years of marriage and yet another is about to give birth." To me I thought that was very odd. At least say your heart is broken or something ! That seemed more like an "oh well, such is life" attitude.

And the cell phone being reported as "accidently' forgotten at home. How would anyone else know if it was 'accidently' forgotten? Only Melissa would know the real answer.
I have a hunch that she was killed at home, her cell phone left behind to avoid GPS tracking, and the murder was staged to look like it happened at South Keys.

Truly sad case, I must say.

Welcome to Ws.Kbeb, your first post seems to have really " hit the nail with a hammer" in this sad case!
The " My Melissa" was just the beginning of the husband's creepy fb posting, sounds so possessive imo.

 

[Kbeb]

Welcome to Ws.Kbeb, your first post seems to have really " hit the nail with a hammer" in this sad case!
The " My Melissa" was just the beginning of the husband's creepy fb posting, sounds so possessive imo.

It not only sounds possessive, but also fake, because no person in this type of situation would be trying to look on the bright side of things, if a killer was technically still roaming free, after brutally murdering this man's wife.

Thanks for welcoming me.

 

[humandoing]

FACT

Breaking News - First degree murder charge for Howard Richmond in death of wife

-Ottawa Citizen

 

[humandoing]

Howard Richmond, 50, was charged with first-degree Saturday morning in an Ottawa court for the slaying of his wife, Melissa Richmond, 28.

A publicity ban was imposed on further details of the case.

Melissa Richmond’s partially clothed body was found in a ditch near a South Keys shopping centre last Sunday.

Her friends and family will gather to remember Melissa Richmond at her funeral in Petawawa later Saturday.

Her husband had been encouraging a group of friends to continue looking for his wife. She had been missing since the Wednesday before.

Howard Richmond went into the police station for questioning on Friday. He was later detained, charged in her murder.


http://www.ottawacitizen.com/touch/story.html?id=8746234

 

[Kbeb]

His FB is down.

The "Help us find Melissa Richmond" facebook page is closed as well, I suspect due to very nasty comments that were showing up there yesterday, after the news of the arrest hit the airwaves.